Love x betrayal

chapter 17: the truth of the video

The car ride home was heavy with unspoken words. Sadie leaned her head against the cool window, the outside world a blur of darkness and streetlights. Her mind was a whirlpool of thoughts, and suddenly, one broke through the surface—she hadn’t been to school in two weeks. The realization was like a punch to the gut, and she sat up straight, glancing over at Jake.

“Jake… what about school? I’ve missed two weeks. How am I supposed to catch up?” Her voice was tinged with worry.

Jake’s grip on the steering wheel remained steady, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Don’t worry about school. You’ll still graduate, no trouble. I’ve taken care of it.”

His reassurance didn’t settle her nerves. If anything, it made her more uneasy. School used to be her one escape, the one place where she could be herself. And now, it was just another thing Jake had taken control of. But her thoughts quickly shifted to Anabel, the anger bubbling up inside her. She couldn’t let that go.

Jake must have sensed the shift in her mood because he glanced at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Sadie hesitated, then took a breath, deciding to confront him. “Why did you post that humiliating video of me? The one where I fell into the cow dung. Why did you do that to me?”

Jake’s expression darkened, and for a moment, she thought he might not answer. But then, he spoke, his voice low and serious. “Well, I didn’t post that video, Sadie.”

Sadie blinked, shocked. “What do you mean?”

Jake sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. “I didn’t post it. I recorded it, sure—I thought it was funny, seeing your cute face when you fell. But I didn’t mean for it to get out. I accidentally sent the video to someone, but I told her to delete it, and she agreed. I was just as shocked as you when I saw it online.”

Sadie’s mind was racing, trying to process what he was saying. “Then why did you take the blame?”

Jake’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Because I knew how it would look. And honestly… I figured it would give you someone to focus your anger on.”

Sadie stared at him, trying to reconcile this new information with everything she thought she knew. “But the wallet incident… that was you, wasn’t it?”

Jake nodded, his expression hardening. “Yeah, that was me. I saw the way you insulted me in the comments on the post. You needed to be punished for that.”

Sadie felt a chill run down her spine. She had been so sure of Jake’s role in her humiliation, but now… everything felt uncertain. Before she could say anything else, Jake pulled up in front of his house. Without another word, he got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door.

He didn’t give her a chance to protest as he lifted her out of the car and carried her to her room, his grip firm but not unkind. “Don’t worry about anything, Sadie,” he said, his voice soft but commanding.

But Sadie wasn’t done. “I want to see my grandma tomorrow. I still need answers.”

Jake paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her. A cold stare that made her heart skip a beat. But Sadie stood her ground, refusing to back down. Finally, Jake smirked, a dark, knowing look in his eyes. “Remember, Sadie… trust no one.”

With that, he left her in the dark room, her thoughts swirling with everything that had happened since she lost her riches. As she lay there, staring at the ceiling, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever find the truth—or if she was just falling deeper into a web of lies.